Making a career out of color: How Gabby Tandberg found her calling as a color analyst

The colors we wear can have a big impact on how we express ourselves and how others see us. And while we have a whole rainbow to choose from, some professionals like Denver-based color consultant Gabby Tandberg say certain colors can elevate an outfit and accentuate your natural features.

Color analysts use color theory to study a client’s skin, hair, and eyes, then determine which shades best complement their natural tones. From there, they provide recommendations for clothing and makeup.

Tandberg runs a color analysis service called Dress Your Colors. Her clients have called her “the Marie Kondo of colors,” as her goal is to help clients streamline their closets. Being a mother with limited time to shop for herself, Tandberg said knowing your colors is a great shortcut.

“I wanted to help other moms and everybody who wants to get dressed and feel good, but just don't know where to get started,” Tandberg said. “And I feel like colors are an easy way, and it makes life so much easier when you have a little guidance.”

Experiencing a “Color Transformation”

Tandberg was a part-time nurse in 2019 when she discovered color analysis. Her daughters were still young, and she felt like she was in a “mom funk” where she hadn’t been making any time for self-care.?

She decided to go shopping for herself, but wasn’t sure what looked good on her. That was when her friend told her about color analysis and she made an appointment with an analyst for herself.

“I had my own personal transformation,” Tandberg said. “When I got my colors done, it was that a-ha moment for me where I thought ‘Oh my gosh, where have I been living all these years, not knowing that colors have such a huge effect on the way I look?’”

Originally from Brazil, Tandberg assumed that warm colors would look best on her. She often wore browns, beiges, and camels as neutrals.

“When I had my colors done, I realized I was doing it all wrong. These colors didn't do anything for me,” Tandberg said. “[Discovering my palette is cool-toned] made me feel amazing and look amazing, so I just thought everybody needs to know about this.”

Tandberg said there is a huge color analysis market in Brazil and Europe, so she wanted to travel abroad to learn more about the practice. She decided to go to S?o Paulo to complete a three-day intensive course with Studio Immagine. This involved learning color theory and practicing color consulting on real people.

“I decided to go to Brazil because it’s such a mixed country with different ethnicities, and it’s great to get that experience and background from people who have done [analyses on] so many different skin tones,” Tandberg said.?

“I wanted to gather as much knowledge [as possible] because we're dealing with people, and there are so many different nuances between skin undertones that I don't want to put everyone in one box. So I like to have the freedom of being able to study from many different teachers out there and see and apply [their knowledge].”

After completing the course, Tandberg started Dress Your Colors in February 2020. For the next three years, she continued working as a PRN nurse one or two days per week while also running her company part-time. But in the summer of 2023, she decided to give her full attention to her business, though she is still open to returning to nursing in the future.

Finding Harmony in Colors

While being a mother is Tandberg’s main focus, she sees one or two clients per week for in-person color analysis sessions. The client comes in with no makeup, then Tandberg starts the session by explaining color theory and what elements she’s looking for in her analysis. She follows by putting drapes on them with different color palettes.

“We do a bunch of different colors to check for the optical effects of the colors near their face,” Tandberg said. “Then we determine their best color palettes and what they should avoid based on what we saw. They come out with a little color fan that has their colors and makeup recommendations.”

Once she determines the color palette, she does the client’s makeup. She also sends out a full report and portfolio after the session so the client has all this information in one place.

Tandberg enjoys the structure that a color palette brings to her wardrobe. She follows her cool palette closely because it brings her “a sense of harmony.”

“That love of harmony just follows me,” Tandberg said. “I'm using rules to create beauty, but it's funny how it's not stifling rules. It's actually something that opens you up and gives you more freedom.”

While she doesn’t personally stray from her palette, Tandberg says she doesn’t subscribe to the idea that you must stay within those hues.

“To me it's a guideline, but I also follow it to a tee because that's just my personality. If I know that something doesn't make me look good, I just don't do it,” Tandberg said. “I feel like I attract my tribe, so many of my clients are pretty much like me and also follow it to a tee.”

If your favorite color is in your “colors to avoid” palette, Tandberg says there are plenty of ways to still wear it. For example, color analysts say wearing some colors can accentuate the shadows of your face and make under-eye bags look more prominent. But if you still love that color, you can use makeup to reduce that effect.

“You can also wear a scarf that's in your color palette, whereas everything else will be the color that's probably not your best. Or if I'm wearing a color that's not on my color fan, I can just wear an accessory like a jacket,” Tandberg said. “It works differently for everyone.”

How to Make a Career in Color Analysis

Tandberg says having a natural eye for color is a huge advantage for someone looking to become a color analyst. However, this quality can also be trained. There are many certification courses in the U.S. and abroad.

“The more you study, the more you read about art and color theory — and through playing with paint and colored pencils — you start appreciating and seeing the little nuances between a yellow green and a blue green,” Tandberg said.

It’s also important to “appreciate different kinds of beauty,” not just your favorite colors.?

“I have to leave behind my preferences for any color, because when you're analyzing that person, it's about that person,” Tandberg said. “You might be shopping for a client and it's totally not your style, but you still have to shop it. So go in with no opinions whatsoever about color and just focus on what looks great for that person.”

Color analysis is all about finding harmony, so focus on keeping a balance when making recommendations.

“Harmony — it's just beauty. To me, it makes sense and it brings peace,” Tandberg said. “It's my personality, too. Everything has to be balanced. And that is the thing with colors. I don't want the color to be too much on you, but I also don't want it to be underwhelming. So when we're looking, we’re being very objective. We say ‘Look, this is how we see you when we see this color on you.’”